The Wales Air Ambulance Charity has come under fire for running a series of ‘invite only’ consultation meetings over the plans to close the Welshpool base.

The charity is doing a series of “supporter gatherings” hosted by some of their trustees, as well as chief executive Sue Barnes, members of the senior management team and the charity’s regional community representatives – with only two in Powys – in Welshpool (November 22) and Brecon (November 23).

On the invite the charity said the meetings “will be an important opportunity, outside of the political, media and NHS environments, for us to speak directly to you, for you to ask questions, and for us to listen to you.”

Organiser of the campaign to save the base, Dai Williams, said: “I personally think Wales Air Ambulances non-public consultation meetings have been set up to confuse people.

“It is highly unlikely that the people attending the meeting will get an opportunity to ask questions as it is very likely to be a PowerPoint presentation and once all meetings are complete the WAA will consider their ‘public’ engagement as complete.”

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Montgomeryshire MS Russell George slammed the “secret meetings” in the Senedd and called for a full public consultation.

Mr George said he was “disappointed to be made aware that The Wales Air Ambulance Charity is arranging meetings to discuss the future delivery of the service, and are only inviting selected people, and asking those invited to not forward the invite to others.”

“This does raise an element of confusion about the engagement process, and the timing of this exercise is questionable`.”

County Councillor, Graham Breeze, was invited to go to one of the events and said on a post on social media that it “seems these "semi-private" meetings in front of "hand-picked" audiences are being held ahead of the public consultation programme that has been promised.

“I'm not comfortable with that but have applied for a seat at one of the Welshpool sessions," he said. "Will be interesting to see if I get a reply.”

Chief ambulance services commissioner Stephen Harrhy who will be running the NHS public consultation on the plans has however confirmed “the events are being organised by the charity and will not cut across the public engagement process we have committed to in any way”.

“Our next steps are as agreed at last week’s Emergency Ambulance Service Committee meeting and as described in the briefing note that was circulated," he added.

“I remain committed to an open and transparent process and I am able to confirm that there is no change to the agreed process.”

To find out more about the campaign to save the base visit: https://savemidwalesbase.co.uk